Tales Of The Wizard Of Oz (Dell Comics comic book)
Dell Comics turned Tales Of The Wizard Of Oz into a 32-page 1-issue comic book that adapted many of TV series' early episodes into a long story very loosely based on L. Frank Baum's book. About it The story begins with Socrates the scarecrow, Rusty the tin man, and Dandy the lion going to see the wizard to ask for a brain, heart, and courage. Once there, Rusty makes a plea to the wizard for a heart, so the wizard begins to craft one and then is brought up short with the realization that he’s run out of ruby-red rutabaga seeds, which are an essential ingredient for the potion, and he orders them to plant some of these seeds to grow the necessary root that will get Rusty a heart somehow. When they try to, the wicked witch of the west silently and secretively materializes, pickpockets the seed packet, and replaces it with “munchkin seeds”, as she whips up a whirlwind to ruin their plans. When Rusty, Socrates, and Dandy plant the contents of the envelope, all that pops up out of the ground are oddly-shaped “tear-drop” creatures with a major proboscis, but Dandy is determined to try again, but the whirlwind deposits him in a tree with Dorothy Gale and Toto as they join him on his way back to the emerald city. However, the wicked witch comes along to cause more trouble, and once Dorothy manages to get her back on her broom and away, they are plagued by munchkins before arriving back at the emerald palace. The wizard tries to send Dorothy home through a magic box, but it turns out to be a waste of time and lands Dorothy right back in the palace, where the wizard and Dandy have stepped out to take a walk, and she meets Socrates. The wizard and Dandy shortly return and the wizard dives into his hat to get Socrates a brain, but the wizard returns instantly and says his brain collection is missing, and munchkins swarm out of the hat. Dorothy begins to wonder how she'll get home, Rusty arrives demanding his heart, and the wizard makes him inflate a balloon, then the balloon carries off the throne with Dorothy and Rusty on it, but the witch flies on her broom and breaks the balloon by making it land back in the palace. The wizard doesn't want Dorothy to go home, he wants her to stay with him in Oz so they can have adventures every day. Trivia A big inconsistency lies in the coloring: in the cartoon, Socrates, Rusty, and Dandy were each one color. Socrates was a dingy yellow, Rusty was white, which is maintained here, and Dandy was orange. Dandy has a different color for his mane and Socrates has a flesh-colored face, which makes him look weird. The wicked witch is blue in this comic, while she was green in the cartoon. Toto was white in the cartoon, here he's brown. Dorothy's hair was orange in the cartoon, instead of blonde as in the comic. The wizard also wore all blue in the cartoon. To prepare to gaze into her TV, the wicked witch changes into a tight sweater and lounging capris, capping her come-hither persona with the “new Jackie hairstyle” – a droll throw-away homage to then-First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Category:The Wizard Of Oz